


Devil On Your Left, Angel on Your Right

by heartisafist



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-15
Updated: 2012-11-15
Packaged: 2017-11-18 17:08:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/563418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartisafist/pseuds/heartisafist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times the light went out in Heaven.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Flicker

**Author's Note:**

> An as of this moment unfinished series of self-prompts pre-Fall.

The first time Gabriel noticed something was wrong with his brother, he kept it to himself. No one else noticed, and why would they? Their Father had made a big announcement, laying out the map for his biggest, brightest idea yet. 

Everyone was busy fawning over the concept, the novel premise, the sheer meaning and magnitude, so on and so forth. Gabriel was right there with them, enthralled, but when he looked up and over his left shoulder, where Lucifer tended to hover, his older brother wasn’t there. 

Well, he was there physically, but Lucifer wasn’t paying a bit of attention to the display or the conversation around it.

Gabriel nudged him in the ribs, pulling him back into the present so suddenly that Lucifer grunted. “So? What d’you think? Pretty cool, huh? And to think, all this is going to start from—“

“A fish,” Lucifer finished, though in a far more dubious tone than Gabriel’s. “A fish crawls up out of the water, and however long later, we get man. Is that what he’s calling them? Man?”

Gabriel laughed, more at the way Lucifer’s nose wrinkled than the question itself. “You’re kinda out of it today. What’s wrong, did Michael finally knock the sense out of you for interrupting his lessons again?”

For a long while, Gabriel wasn’t sure if Lucifer was going to laugh at all. His brother stared, expression hardening, not at Gabriel but over his head at someone else. He knew that look all too well, knew exactly who it was meant for. And more importantly, what it meant for the rest of them this afternoon.

After a long moment, Lucifer finally smiled down at Gabriel and ruffled his hair. “Not yet. But I’m sure he’ll do some permanent damage one of these days, won’t he?”

They continued on that way once the meeting was over, but it would be another few days before Gabriel forgot the look that came over Lucifer’s face and how abruptly he _changed._


	2. Flare

The second time Gabriel notices something is wrong with his brother, so does half of Heaven.

Lucifer and Michael always argued. They did it so naturally that it seemed like they were made for the purpose, like it was ingrained in their very opposite personalities. The times they did get along were miracles, in Gabriel’s opinion. 

But they loved each other. That was as obvious as the volatile energy around them. Michael smiled the most around Lucifer. A little of the tension eased out of his shoulders when he had the younger archangel around. Some of Lucifer’s worst jokes even brought a quiet laugh out of his brother, so long as they weren’t at Michael’s own expense. 

And Lucifer? Well, Lucifer never devoted as much of his attention to the rest of the family as he did Michael. 

Gabriel remembers a time when he was much younger, when Lucifer spent meetings close to Michael’s side. He would lean over sometimes and, smirking, casually mutter things Gabriel couldn’t hear. No one but Michael could hear, but whatever it was, it would make Michael’s face go red half the time and his elbow jab into Lucifer’s side the rest.

But Gabriel always watched so closely then that he never missed the tiny, upward quirk at the corner of Michael’s mouth.

The patch of sky above Lucifer’s favorite part of Heaven is a dark blue, almost hazy. Gabriel has just enough time to wonder over it before Lucifer appears with a crack that hangs in the atmosphere, like lightening with how bright he still shines.

Gabriel’s heard all sorts of swearing. He’s even come up with some of his own and prides himself on a kind of creativity that makes even Anna turn the same fierce shade of her hair. But the grand prize goes to Lucifer for creativity today. By the time Gabriel’s ears stop ringing, Lucifer’s letting fly with a violent tirade, cursing their brother, the Host, everything and everyone except for the ultimate blasphemy. 

Something shatters, exploding under a burst of energy from Lucifer that’s so strong Gabriel feels the heat brush against his face, even stirring his hair. Gabriel clears his throat and Lucifer whips around.

For a few seconds, Gabriel’s honestly afraid his brother’s going to lash out at him. Lucifer takes too long to realize it’s him and not Michael looking for a continuation of whatever fight they must’ve had. 

His expression isn’t anything like what Gabriel’s seen before; it’s ugly, something dark and terrifying in the middle of natural beauty.

Lucifer blinks a few times and sags suddenly, all the fire gone out of him. Gabriel opens his mouth to say something, to crack some lighthearted joke about the mess Lucifer’s making of his part of Heaven. But all that comes out is a startled half syllable – Lucifer’s wings have settled around him, massive, heavy and warm. 

Lucifer touches him lightly, fingers moving gently over his cheeks, moving back to tangle in his hair. His skin is still incredibly warm as he presses his forehead to Gabriel’s. 

Gabriel would close his eyes but Lucifer does it instead, sparing him the intensity of a bright gold stare.

“You’ve been going away so often, Gabriel. Why do you keep leaving us?”

For once, Gabriel can’t bring himself to answer.


End file.
